German steelmaker Saarstahl has been awarded with a Regional Co-operation Award by Japanese automotive supplier DENSO.

The award was accepted by Saarstahl’s head of sales for wire rod, Jean-Paul Timmerman, at a DENSO Suppliers Convention in Nagoya, Japan.

Saarstahl delivers the primary material for a cold-formed component used in alternators. The steelmaker manufactures 500 tonnes of wire rod at its Neunkirchen plant and ships it to DENSO’s Knoxville, Tennessee, alternator plant in the USA.

Dr. Klaus Richter, Saarstahl’s chief sales officer, said he was delighted with the award, the first from a Japanese customer. He said that there was also a growing market for the product in Eastern Europe, right on Saarstahl’s doorstep.

“We are already being selected – after Japanese suppliers – as a second and third supplier for cold heading grades, spring steel, free cutting steels and tyre cord and we would like to further extend this position,” said Dr. Richter.

DENSO employs 146,000 employees at 188 subsidiaries worldwide and is a specialist in automotive electronics and mechatronics.